Beginning of the End
by FenrysTheWolf
Summary: For years, people have thought the beasts that used to haunt them were gone. What they didn't know, was that there is an entire army ready to wage war against Luna and Earth. At the center of all the chaos, two twins with powers stronger then any could have ever imagined...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi guys! Um…. So this is my very first Lunar Chronicles fanfiction, and I hope you guys enjoy it! If you have any suggestions on how to improve the story's quality, or any comments, please review it! I appreciate it so much!**

 **This story takes place about twenty years after Winter. I haven't read any of the other series as of yet, so if something big happened in those assuming they are after Winter, I don't know, so if any of you are confused by that, that's why.**

 **NOTE** **: Very important, in this story, Cinder never got rid of the monarchy of Luna.**

 **Also, in case any of you are wondering, in this story here's the ships (all of these four ships are married): Kaider, Wolflet, Cresswell, Wincin (I'm not sure if that's the common ship name for Winter and Jacin, if it's not feel free to correct me!).**

 **Just a few more clarifications before I start this story! Cress and Thorne are still going on whatever adventures they go on together with the Rampion with a 15 year old girl named Camille (short, dirty blonde hair, blue eyes), Scarlet and Wolf are living on their farm with their 16 year old girl, Thalia (brown hair like Wolf, brown eyes like Scarlet), Cinder is the Empress of the Commonwealth and Queen of Luna, Kai is Emperor of the Commonwealth and King of Luna and they have 15 year old twins, a girl named Celeste (shoulder length brown hair, brown eyes) and a boy named Zane (black hair, copper brown eyes) and (last one I promise!) Winter and Jacin are still going around doing ambassador things with a 13 year old boy named Damien (male version of small Winter only without the scars, essentially).**

 **Sorry for all the description thingies, just figured it would be best for you guys to know what's going on before I started writing! I'll stop now, and you know…. Actually write ;).**

 **Celeste's POV- 2 weeks ago**

Princess Celeste Blackburn was running through the halls. Deep inside her mind, she knew something was wrong. Her short brown hair flew behind her as she ran through the palace, down stairs, through corridors. Screeching to a stop beside her brother's open bedroom door, Celeste peered into her brothers room. It was in the state that she feared it would be in. Everything was thrown off the shelves, broken shards of glass glinting in the fake light that shone through the ripped curtains. His bed sheets were on the floor, ripped to shreds.

"No…. No no no…. I can't be late! I can't have missed it!" Celeste screamed at no one in particular. That was when she noticed the two dead guards on the outside of his room. Swallowing her disgust, Celeste looked at their wounds, attempting to see exactly what it was that had killed them, that had taken her brother. Claw marks raked their arms, both with a deep bite wound in their neck.

A few minutes ago, a vision had come to Celeste. Beasts covered in fur that walked on two legs, with huge jaws and massive daggers for teeth. Glinting eyes, claws on their hands. She'd heard rumors of the beasts her grandma had commanded. Half wolf, half men. People said they'd all been returned to a group of new sectors where they could live normally, or, as normally as they could live. Except, she'd seen a small group of these beasts, a pack, creeping silently through the palace. Heading towards her brothers room. Why, she could easily guess.

She and her brother were unique, in a terrifying way. Like most Lunars, they could indeed manipulate bioelectricity. They were both awful good at it, to. A simple thought could make a hundred men easily do whatever they wanted. With a lot more effort, they could manipulate a thousand. However, they both had two extra gifts, never heard of before. Celeste got visions. Visions of the past, present, and future. She couldn't control them. But when she had them, it always happened. Her brother could read minds.

They were easily the most powerful Lunars ever to live. Well, half Lunar, half Earthen. However, while they had the most powerful minds, they both had their weaknesses. Celeste had always yearned for one simple thing. A friend. However, everyone avoided her like the plague, besides the guards and the servants. Although Celeste had caught the servants arguing over who would do her bidding, and her guards seemed to be wary of her. The only people who didn't seem to be afraid of her was Zane, her brother, and her parents, Cinder (she had actually made a decree that everyone call her Cinder as opposed to Selene) and Kai.

The fact that everyone seemed to despise her made Celeste inexplicably sad. She knew her brother was much more reckless than her, and his only weakness was herself. In addition, they both frequently had horrible migraines as a result of the strain their minds were placed under. Celeste had almost clawed all her hair out one night.

She knew her brother would be extremely valuable to the beasts. Though she hated admitting it, they would also probably come for her. However, who would believe her? They had every reason to believe her, however time and time again they refused. All except her family.

Cursing, Celeste spun around and raced towards the throne room. Every afternoon her mother, Queen of Luna, held council there. With luck, Celeste would be able to arrive before it ended. Some days she would've been there, standing silently beside the throne. Despite how boring she found politics, Celeste wanted to be ready to pick up after her mother, being the eldest twin, should something horrifying happen to her parents.

Seeing her running towards the grand doors to the throne room, the two guards hurriedly opened them. Celeste burst into the room, her hair presumably a mess, her thin silver gown most likely wrinkled. The council (all represented by a member of every sector) frowned at her. Cinder, sitting on her throne, glanced worriedly at her daughter. It was unlike Celeste to interrupt anything. However, like her mom, it was also very difficult to maintain a proper appearance, so at least that part wasn't new.

"Mom! Er…. Your Majesty! It's….. It's….." Celeste stumbled on her words. Cinder hopped off her throne and picked up Celeste's shaking hands in her own, steady hands.

"What is it? What happened? Just take a deep breath, and tell me from the beginning," Cinder whispered. Wiping a tear before it could slip down her face, Celeste took a deep breath.

"I…. I had a vision, ten minutes ago approximately, of…. Of…. The beasts the stories told, of Levana's old army…." Celeste started, more tears coming. Cinder flinched at the mention of her aunt before urging her daughter to continue.

"Sneaking around the palace….. They got Zane, mom, I know it. I tried to make it in time, but his guards were mauled to death and his bedroom was a disaster and…. Mom, he's gone. They took him, I'm positive," Celeste breathed. Cinder frowned.

"You're sure?" She whispered. Shaking, Celeste nodded. Releasing her daughters hands, Cinder stood up.

"Guards! Lock the front gates. Ensure no one leaves this palace until these thieves have been apprehended, and my son safely returned. Barricade all exits. Gather everyone in the Great Hall, and double the guards on every entrance," Cinder exclaimed without wavering.

The court was escorted to the Great Hall by at least fifteen guards. Another five were surrounding Cinder and Celeste. When they turned towards the Great Hall with everyone else, though, Celeste stopped.

"Celeste, hun, we don't have the time for this," Cinder whispered, taking Celeste's hand.

"No, we don't. I refuse to cower in the Great Hall with everyone else while the guards risk their lives. They will escape before they are found, believe me. I…. I might be the only one who can stop them," Celeste said the last part quietly. Before her mother could respond, Celeste slipped in between the guards surrounding them and took off down the halls to the place her vision had told her they would escape.

She heard pounding footsteps behind her, a desperate call from Cinder, all of which she ignored. Her desperation spurred her along through the halls, even though she was breathless from running through the palace minutes before. Though she was light on her feet, the guards caught up to her within minutes. Of course her mother had sent the fastest after her.

Skidding to a stop, Celeste spun to face the guards. A hint of fear passed through their gaze as her own steely one met theirs. Narrowing her eyes, at the guards, she ordered them to leave her.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, however Queen Cinder ordered us to ignore your commands and bring you back safely. You do realize, that if the attackers were after your brother, surely they would come after you, as well? We mean no disrespect, however you truly would be safer in the Great Halls," one of the guards responded in a gruff voice.

" _You WILL leave me, and go back to my mother without so much as a hint of disobedience, and protect her with your life no matter what she says,"_ Celeste ordered. Though ordering eight guards to directly do the opposite of what she wanted should've put even the slightest strain against her, Celeste manipulated them with ease. Even though she felt just a little bad about it. Though she figured her mother would spare them if she knew they'd been forced.

Finally Celeste burst into one of the ports on the edge of Artemisia. This time, she'd even been lucky enough to catch them. Her worries were confirmed when she saw at least a dozen big hulking human like creatures, one carrying an unconscious Zane with a bad bruise on his head.  
Celeste reached out with her mind towards the creatures. She'd heard that it was impossible to manipulate them, and instead in the past, Queen Levana's Thaumaturges had simply tortured their minds, immediately making a pain so harsh rush through their bodies, that they would immediately collapse in agony.

Sweat dripped down the side of her head as she struggled to manipulate their faint traces of bioelectricity. Celeste had never felt such a strain on her mind. No wonder it had been impossible for even the strongest Thaumaturges. Finally, she managed to slip inside the mind of half the beasts.

 _Release my brother IMMEDIATELY. Put him safely by the control panel. Kill your other pack members._

Immediately, the one who had carried Zane trotted off to the control panel in the corner and set him on the ground roughly. The rest were clawing at their heads, and one let out a sharp howl. The five not under her control twisted to face her, their lips curling and revealing sharp teeth.

Celeste struggled to keep a hold on the others, however she repeated the last command. Finally, they shook their heads and charged the others. Claws ripped at throats, jaws snapped at arms.

A sharp pain ripped her concentration to shreds. She let out a sharp, strangled cry and clutched her head. Never had she felt a migraine this bad. Celeste felt her control slip from the minds of the few creatures she'd managed to control. Only two dead bodies lay on the ground. With a last, desperate thought, she plead that they wouldn't see her. Would forget that she lay there, screaming, digging her nails into her head in an attempt to be freed from the agony.

The last thing she saw was one of the beasts grabbing her brother before boarding one of the podships and zipping away to the looming blue planet. Darkness crowded her vision, and all traces of consciousness slipped away.

 **A/N: Hi guys! I really hope you liked that! Also sorry for all the explaining I did, I promise the explaining will die down a bit soon. If you liked that or had any ideas or questions, please totally feel free to leave a review which helps me a lot! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next update!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello fellow earthens! That was kinda bad. xD Anyways, thanks for the support for my first chapter! I really appreciate it! Just a quick note in case you guys forgot, from here on out it jumps ahead 2 weeks because that chapter was 2 weeks in the past. So, here's current stuff and things!**

 **Celeste's POV**

Celeste's eyes jerked open. She could feel her hair covered in goop, along with her clothes. Her lungs gasped for air. Strong arms lifted her from the suspended animation tank where she'd sat, unconscious, for the past two weeks without knowing it.

The strong arms carried her over to a couch where she was gently put down. As she scanned her surroundings, which were blurry to her at the moment, memories started rushing back. The vision. Her brother, unconscious, carried in the arms of the beasts. A searing pain raging in her head. Passing out as her brother was carried onto a podship.

Soon the blurry face beside her, the strong arms, started coming into focus. Dark hair. Copper brown eyes.

"Da…. Dad?" Celeste muttered. Her throat was parched, aching as she stumbled over her words.

"Celeste? Are you ok? Get her some water," Kai, her father, ordered the doctor. He rushed off in search of water. Kai cradled Celeste's head in his arms.

"Dad…. They…. They have Zane…. We need to stop them…." Celeste murmured.

"I know, hun. We are doing everything possible to apprehend these imposters. You need to rest, though. Regain your strength," Kai whispered in response. Celeste slowly sat up, leaning into her fathers warm embrace.

The door flew open, and Cinder rushed in, joining the embrace with tears threatening to let loose.

"Oh, Celeste, I've been so worried! I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier….. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you…." Cinder said through the sobs wracking her body. Celeste was content to curl up in her parents arms. To go back into the lulling sleep where nothing was wrong. Reality tore through her dreamy haze though, and slowly she sat up. Thanking the doctor for the offered glass of water, Celeste swiftly gulped it down. Clarity returned to her.

"Have they been caught yet?" Celeste wondered. Kai sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Problem is, we can't track them. We don't even know what we're looking for," Kai admitted with defeat.

"A podship. Number 1174. That was the number on the side of the pod they took. They were headed for earth," Celeste exclaimed.  
"Do you remember anything else….?" Cinder asked hesitantly. With a frown, Celeste shook her head. Then, suddenly, Cinder's face lit up. Celeste knew that look on her mother's face. It meant an answer.

"Cress! Cress is the answer! She can track the ship, I know she can!" Cinder jumped up, Celeste and Kai in tow. Celeste followed as best as she could as Cinder ran through the palace to her royal chambers. Even though running wasn't very Queenly, Celeste knew her mother was desperate for answers. Like how could they break into the palace and abduct her son without anyone but Celeste knowing about it? How had they escaped on one of their own podships yet had the time to remove all the trackers?

Celeste watched intently as her mother grabbed her portscreen from on the shelf and hastily tapped a few buttons until the familiar ringing sound was heard in the silent room. Seconds later, Celeste heard the relatively familiar voice of her parents friend, a member of the Rampion crew, Cress.

"Cinder! It's been awhile since we've seen each other! How are things?" Cress exclaimed happily. However Celeste watched as realization dawned on Cress.

"What happened?" Cress asked, concerned.

"The stupid wolf hybrids broke into the palace unnoticed, abducted my son and guards found Celeste lying on the floor by the ports unconscious and screaming," Cinder replied in an angry tone. Though the moment wasn't really right, Celeste moved into view of the portscreen and waved at Cress in order to a) inform her she was alright and b) say hello. Cress smiled back.

"I was wondering if you could track the podship. Celeste caught the numbers. What was it? Right, 1174," Cinder asked. Cress nodded, immediately accepting her mission. Through the screen, Cress turned around and yelled for her husband, Thorne. Celeste heard thumping steps on what she assumed was the Rampion's floor.

"What's up, sweets?" Thorne wondered, peeking his head around the corner of whatever room Cress was in. Then, noticing Cress was talking with Cinder, he waved enthusiastically at his old friend.

"Thorne I need you to fly us to Artemisia, Luna, fast as possible," Cress ordered. Though Cinder hadn't suggested it, Celeste knew that was what her mom had been about to suggest. She grew excited, despite the situation, that she would get to see Cress and Thorne and, hopefully, their daughter Camille. They'd been best friends since they were little.

"Actually, while you guys are at it, see if you can bring the entire crew together. Unfortunately, I feel like this won't be a problem so easily resolved," Cinder added. Cress nodded before ending the call. Celeste felt the excitement rising up through her chest. They would find her brother. Maybe…. Just maybe, save the world, just like her parents had done.

 **A/N: If you are here, that means you managed to get through two chapters without abandoning me! That deserves an extra big Thank You! I really appreciate it! Here's the replies to the reviews I got from the last one.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello again! As you guys can see, I'm going on a bit of a writing spree at this moment, so expect new chapters everyday!**

 **Thalia's POV**

"YOU STUPID BIRD GIVE THAT BACK!" Thalia shouted at one of many chickens on the farm. She'd been feeding them, ya know, so they don't starve, and then the rotten bird decided that ya know what? I'm going to steal this stupid girl's portscreen!  
Chickens darted out of Thalia's way as she chased after the thief. With every step, she gained on the chicken who was screeching at the top of its lungs and flapping its wings. As she came around the side of the house, Thalia reached up and grabbed a towel that was drying on the clothesline. Even though clothes lines were very much second era, her mother liked to keep things 'farm like'.

Within seconds the chicken would be in the chicken coup where it would be infinitely harder to get her portscreen back. Before that could happen, though, Thalia sprung forwards and captured the thief in the towel. Pinning its wings to its side to prevent escape, she picked up the chicken and turned it around to face her.

"Do you WANT to be fed, you ungrateful brat? Don't steal my portscreen again!" Thalia ordered the chicken. Snatching her portscreen from it's beak, Thalia dropped the chicken on the ground. Sure, she liked animals, but still. It deserved to be just a little bit shaken up for thievery.

Stalking away from the stupid creature, Thalia entered the house after dusting off her filthy jeans. She was sure there were feathers in her hair from the chase. Thalia found her mother, Scarlet, in the kitchen baking some cookies.

"Hey, mom. Do you know when we are going to go pick up Fiona from the stables?" Thalia asked Scarlet. Fiona was her chestnut french trotter mare that she'd gotten for her 16th birthday, three months ago. They'd been boarding her at a friends stable while Wolf figured out how to build a stable and a paddock.

"Hello, dear. Did you finish feeding the chickens? I see you uh…. Got some um feathers in your hair," Scarlet replied, barely hiding a smile. Thalia glared at her mom. "We can get her this afternoon if you'd like." Thalia smiled before running up to her room.

Settling on her bed, Thalia turned on her portscreen. She decided to set up a group call between her friends, Celeste and Camille. It'd been awhile since they'd done a group call.

"Hey, Thalia! Ooh, a group call? Good decision! Actually, you won't need to do a group call. My parents are about thirty seconds from picking you up, then guess what? WE'RE GOING TO LUNA! On some like journey thing? Celeste can explain!" Camille exclaimed, happy as always. She was the optimist of the group, Celeste was the thinker, and Thalia was essentially the fire.

"Zane was kidnapped by…. The creatures your d… dad is," Celeste whispered, shaking. Thalia knew very well what her dad was, what the rest of his 'kind' were. Wolf was different, though.

"I thought your parents took them all back to Luna and even built a new sector for them where they wouldn't be able to hurt anyone….?" Thalia replied.

"We thought they did. Although…. Now we're worried that something much bigger is going on," Celeste murmured.

Thalia heard the sounds of the Rampion landing outside. Quickly saying goodbye, Thalia tucked her portscreen in her black sweater pocket before running outside. She arrived just in time to see the ramp extending along with three figures rushing out.

Before she could so much as blink an eye, Camille had her arms wrapped around Thalia.

"Hello! Oh my lord have I ever missed you! Come come, this is going to be exciting. I PROMISE. Mom said we could come to Luna but she ALSO said it would be too dangerous to actually you know…. Partake in the adventures, but Celeste and I have a plan," Camille winked, grabbing her wrist and tugging Thalia aboard the Rampion. They were going to go to Camille's room while they flew to Luna, although Thalia stopped her.

"Can we stay in the front? I want to see the stars," Thalia whispered, excitement building up inside her. Camille frowned for a split second before smiling again.

"Sure! I guess you've only been to space like what, three times? Yeah! Thats horrible. I guess living on this farm must be cool, to, though! The stars are pretty cool. Even after living on this ship my entire life essentially trust me when I say it NEVER gets boring! Have you ever seen a comet from space? I did once, five months ago…." Camille chattered on as they walked to the cockpit where Thalia heard the voices of their parents.

As they rounded the corner, Thalia was engulfed in another hug from Cress. Thalia rather liked Cress.

"Thalia! It's been to long! I see you've grown, taller then me, I'm afraid. Ah well, I've gotten over being short," Cress exclaimed happily.

"That's a lie, actually, just this morning you were complaining about not being able to reach the top shelves in the cargo dock-" Thorne informed Cress before she cut him off with a glare.

"Well, you girls can do whatever you want. It'll be at least say…. A good half hour before we reach Luna at the very least," Cress said.

Thalia pressed her hands against the glass, her mouth open in awe at the sight of Luna. Like the last three times she'd been lucky enough to come here, she was always amazed at the glittering domes and the sparkling cities beneath. Camille was pointing out all the newest additions in the main dome that held the city of Artemisia.

The Rampion glided towards one of the open ports in the dome, landing smoothly. _Opening the ramp. Have a safe trip and I look forwards to your return, Master!_ Exclaimed the intercom. Her first time aboard the ship, Camille told her the story of Darla, now the ship's autopilot. She'd been amazed at how Thorne had been blind for a while before Cress's now deceased father had cured his loss of vision.

Overcome by excitement to see her other friend, Celeste, Thalia and Camille charged ahead of the adults and down the ramp. She stopped, confused, at the bottom of the ramp when she didn't see her friend or Queen Cinder, or Emperor Kai. They were always there when they came, waiting open armed for their friends.

Sharing a look, they took off through the winding passage up to the palace. Thalia didn't quite know the palace layout, so whenever she almost took a wrong turn Camille corrected her. They made there way swiftly through the palace, Thalia feeling slightly guilty that her filthy boots were probably mucking up the palace floors.

Before they could crash into the doors to the Throne Room, the guards swiftly opened them. Thalia burst through followed by Camille. Just like they'd thought, Cinder was holding court.

Sitting on her beautifully carved white throne was Queen Cinder of Luna. Beside her, to her right, was Emperor Kai of the Commonwealth. To her left was Thalia's friend, Celeste. Immediately she knew something was very wrong, judging by the mood of the court.  
It also made Thalia even more guilty at well…. Being a farm kid, to see the court dressed in beautiful gowns and fine suits. Cinder was wearing a shimmering silver gown with a v-neck and long sleeves, her hair looking even worse than usual. Kai was wearing a formal Commonwealth design suit, his hair looking as though hands had run through it many times that day. Celeste had a simple midnight blue dress with the straps tied around the back of her neck, a shimmery silver belt and a skirt that ended above her knees on the front and half way down her calves in the back. Thalia guessed it was an open back, as well. Her friends face lit up when she saw her friends.

"Camille! Thalia! It's so good for you guys to be here! Just in time to be caught up with the news, as well! Come, sit in the front row, there," Celeste exclaimed, pointing to two empty seats.

"Your Majesty, we are very sorry for the interruption, we beg your pardon," Thalia said to the Queen, both her and Camille dipping into a curtsy. Thalia would even admit her curtsy was questionable at best. Cinder smiled, nodding. They hurried to their seats.

"As some of you might know, there has been an attack on AR-4. We have been working tirelessly to put out the flames in order to stop further destruction of both buildings and our precious air. Unfortunately, we have no proof of who is responsible for the attack, however all we know is that it may be safe to say the same creatures responsible for the kidnapping of my son may very well be responsible. I urge you all to return to your sectors, and inform everyone to be on high alert. We will be doubling security on all exits and entrances to every sector, as well as around the palace. Court dismissed," Queen Cinder announced with a wave of her hand. As soon as everyone had left, Cinder descended from her throne and strode towards Thalia and Camille.

"It's been awhile since I've seen you girls! I'm sorry you've had to come at a bad time such as this. Where are your parents?" Cinder asked.

"They should be coming, any minute now," Thalia replied. She knew it was best for her to talk to the Queen as opposed to Camille who had the potential to go on some long story or whatever.

"Thank you. Go with Celeste, she will show you to your quarters. Try and find something to do. Although it is safest to stay within the palace right now," Queen Cinder added before she and Kai left.

"Ok, I'm hoping you guys are on the same page, but I'm not staying here while people are killed by these beasts and my brother is out there somewhere," Celeste exclaimed as soon as they were alone in her royal chambers.

"Stay here? Hell no," Thalia replied. Camille nodded in agreement after scolding Thalia's use of 'language'.

"Good. I've gathered supplies for what we need to do, and I might even know where to start," Celeste said. She jumped off her bed where she'd been sitting and ran over to her huge wardrobe.

"I gathered some clothes that would be useful, and should hopefully also help to hide our identities seeing as I'm a Princess and you guys are basically celebrities," Celeste explained, throwing clothes onto the floor. Thalia walked over to examine the three piles of clothes. It was obvious to tell who they were for, Camille had the smallest clothes seeing as she was the shortest, then Thalia, followed closely by Celeste.

Celeste had picked out black, loose tank tops for all three of them. Thalia carefully picked one up to examine it. It had a fairly low neck, with small jewels sewed around the neckline. The fabric was very soft and light, so Thalia guessed it was made of silk. Next Celeste grabbed some dark grey shorts that would probably reach slightly above mid thigh. Thalia wondered why Celeste had grabbed clothes for warm temperatures however she figured she would have it explained to her soon.

"Lastly, I thought it would be best if we all had black leather boots that were slightly below mid calf. When I tell you where we're going you'll understand," Celeste pulled out three pairs of boots from deep within her wardrobe. Thalia and Camille waited patiently sort of for the explanation.

"We are going to Mexico. We need boots seeing as there's well…. Cacti, scorpions, what not. Stabby things. I had a vision of the beasts hiding in one of the ancient temples of the Aztecs," Celeste explained. They both nodded in understanding of their task.

"Well…. I guess we should get dressed now, we can take turns in the bathrooms," Celeste added.

Thalia was surprised at how well her outfit fit her. Celeste sure knew how to dress people. She thought they looked a little bit ridiculous, all wearing the same thing. A question came to mind though when they gathered back at Celeste's bed.

"We are going to need weapons, surely. I... I know that your powers should be able to get us through, but you said you could only barely control five of the creatures, right? We should at least all get a gun, and a knife," Thalia suggested.

"That's right! Here, I know exactly how we can get those. I'm going to glamor all of us as guards, and we're going to go down to the armory. There we'll find belts to hold our guns and knives. Good thinking, Thalia," Celeste said before leading them out to the halls.

Thalia liked watching as her body changed as though a wave rippled along the edges, changing her size, shape. This time she was a tall, broad-shouldered guard with cropped brown hair and glittering onyx eyes.

They fell in behind Celeste, copying the way she marched. After going down, down, down, they reached two big iron doors.

"Identity and what is your purpose for coming to the armory?" One of the two guards guarding the entrance ordered.

" _You want to open the doors for us. You never even saw us, we were never here,"_ Celeste replied in a different tone of voice. Even Thalia felt the need to open the doors for them, wanted to forget about them being there. She shook it off.  
The guards hastily pulled open the doors, allowing them passage. Quickly and silently, they followed Celeste to the armory. Thalia rather liked the sight of all the weapons. Not to be weird, she just generally speaking liked knives. And there were lots.

On the wall were multiple racks with guns and knives, ready for the taking.

"Ok…. You guys know what to do, I suggest we hurry," Celeste whispered. Thalia went through the guns, seeing if there were any different kinds, however they were all the same. Taking one of them, she put it in the gun holster on her belt. She was glad to see the knives varied. Her belt had room for two, so she chose one pair of medium sized knives that felt balanced in her hands. Strapping them to her belt like Wolf had shown her a while ago, because why wouldn't a teenager need to know how to strap a knife to their belt, Thalia turned to see if her friends were ready.

They nodded, and again they took off, following the Princess back through the palace. Every time they ran into a guard, Thalia heard Celeste mutter something and they turned their attention away from the guards running through the palace.

Eventually they started descending towards the royal ports. Slowing their pace slightly for the spiral stairs, they wound down down down until they heard the sounds of people talking and ship like sounds. You know, port sounds.

Ahead, Celeste screeched to a stop and Thalia nearly bowled right into her. Camille stopped without almost incident. Thalia looked up to see why her friend had stopped, and her gaze met that of the Queen's.

 **A/N: Hi guys! Sorry that was stupid long! Or if you like long chapters then your welcome! I guess maybe tell me in the review area if you want longer or shorter chapters next time? Anyways, here's the replies to the reviews so far!**

 **light-and-Shadows-Mist-and-ice: Thanks! And that's a bit of a weird review but i dig it! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello again! As you can see, I am continuing my writing spree! Soooo without further ado, I'll get on with the story!**

 **Celeste's POV**

"Mom?" Celeste gasped.

"Princess Celeste Blackburn! What on Luna are you guys doing here? You were supposed to stay in the guest wing where it was safe!" Queen Cinder, otherwise known as 'mom' said, raising her voice. "I thought I could trust you to follow orders. I didn't want to use force, but if I must. I'm _not_ losing both kids in one month," Cinder added, gesturing to five guards behind her.

A sudden realization flooded Celeste. She would have to manipulate her mother, the Queen, if they were ever going to make it out of there. Celeste didn't realize how the idea upset her before a tear slipped down her cheek. Such an action would easily merit execution. _No one_ manipulated the Queen. Let alone disobey direct orders, twice.

"I…. I'm sorry…. But I won't stay holed up in this palace whilst my brother is missing. I _promise,_ with all my soul, that I _will_ find him," Celeste told Cinder.

 _Leave my friends alone. Forget that we ever left in the first place. Let us pass,_ Celeste whispered, her gaze set on the Queen and the guards who were creeping forwards. Immediately, they paused. Even Cinder looked confused. They all stepped aside, allowing the three girls to creep past.

Anyone in their path that tried to stop them, Celeste manipulated into letting them pass and forgetting they were there. There was only one problem.

Celeste followed Thalia up to one of the big podships, specially designed for more than two people which was the average podship. Thalia pressed a few buttons on the keypad and the ramp extended, the doors whooshing open.

"Um…. Thalia is it safe to assume you know how to fly one of these things?" Camille asked, dropping her natural confidence. Celeste watched as Thalia bit her lip, sitting on the chair in front of the controls.

"I…. I've never flown a podship, before, only mom's ship, which…. Shouldn't be to different…." Thalia muttered, pressing a few things. Wanting to be a supportive friend, Celeste tried to repress her doubts. They were really depending on Thalia's ability to fly a ship. However, their lives were also riding on this.

"Just a few more….. Got it!" Thalia exclaimed, just as Celeste saw the ramp retracting and the doors closing.

"I suggest sitting down, or something, this might be a little bit rough at first…." Thalia cautioned. Celeste looked around for a place to sit and settled for the back of the podship. Suddenly, they were airborne, soaring out of the port. Unfortunately, they were free for about three minutes before Thalia grumbled something about stupid Lunars and their stupid spaceships. Celeste tried not to take the insult on a personal level, seeing as how behind them were now at least seven ships in pursuit.

"Hey, Celeste? Think you can brainwash them from here?" Thalia asked.

"I…. I don't think so, I'm sorry," Celeste mumbled. Thalia practically growled before their podship lurched in an incredibly rapid downward spiral.

"If you guys aren't holding onto something, this is gonna hurt like hell," Thalia cautioned. Celeste tightened her grip on a protruding bar, wrapping an arm around a shaking Camille.

"Just another adventure…. Nothing to worry about…. Thalia won't let me die," Camille muttered. Celeste's stomach almost took a vacation multiple times as Thalia swerved around satellites, supposedly intentionally almost making them crash into every single freaking one.

"THESE STUPID LUNAR IDIOTS WON'T STOP FOLLOWING US!" Thalia roared. "Celeste, I know you said you can't, but I really REALLY need you to try and do your brainwashing lunar thing before we are caught and probably executed for all sorts of treason," Thalia added. Biting her lip, Celeste closed her eyes. She had even more strength when she was alone with her mind. Though it was near impossible to actually manipulate bioelectricity waves through walls, Celeste had done it before. Through space though was a different story.

Stretching her concentration through the walls, wincing when it finally slipped through, Celeste almost immediately passed out from the strain of the basically no concentration of space. She felt a squeeze on her shoulder, urging her to try harder.

Sweat dripping down her forehead, Celeste finally regained control and slipped through the walls of all seven pursuing spaceships. Fourteen minds. In regular circumstances, Celeste could've done this with a flick of her wrist. These were not normal circumstances.

Celeste could feel the beginnings of a major migraine flaring in her mind. Biting back a scream, she twisted the Lunar's bioelectricity and forced them to turn around, reporting to Queen Cinder that the girls had evaded their capture and flew to Australia in search of Prince Zane.

Just as she finished the command, the building pain in her mind grew searing hot. Her head felt as though it was on fire. Opening her eyes, Celeste sat up, clutching her head as a wail escaped her mouth.

"CELESTE! CELESTE, ANSWER ME! You're going to be ok! Just hand on! Thalia is just finding a… a…. Hospital of sorts, someone who can help," Camille voice said, quavering. Celeste barely managed a nod before another shrill shriek came out of her mouth as the pain in her head intensified.  
She could feel warm arms wrapped around her, whispered promises in her ear. As if she just hadn't had enough pain, Celeste's breaths became more ragged as her brain failed to provide instructions on how to goddamn breath. As she gasped for breath, the voices became much more panicked. The girl sitting beside her, what was her name? Hugged her tighter, and the other girl in the seat gave orders that she couldn't understand. Her vision blurred as her brain ran out of oxygen.

With the last of her strength, Celeste half croaked half whimpered, " _help…."_ before everything went black.

 **A/N: Hi guys! Sorry that this was kind of the same ending as my first chapter, what with Celeste blacking out, but you know.**

 **light-and-Shadows-Mist-and-ice: Honestly I didn't even realize I'd concocted the perfect Cresswell character. Also yeah…. It does seem like something our friend group would do :) With the you being all like 'ummmm nope we're staying here'.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hi friends! Back with another chapter, yayyyyyy! Continuing the spree still. Also, quick note, I am changing Winter and Jacin's boy's age to 16. For reasons.**

 **light-and-Shadows-Mist-and-ice: I do definitely hundred percent agree. A mom friend is exactly what would complete the circle. I guess you'll just have to see if they meet a *cough* certain *cough* Winter and Jacin child *cough*.**

 **Camille's POV**

Camille clung to Celeste's limp body, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her friend had blacked out, and still wasn't breathing. She wished she knew CPR or something, but the best they could hope for was that Thalia could get them down to earth as fast as possible. Honestly, it was like clutching a dead body, except for one small glimmer of hope that her friend was still alive.

One thing she did know how to do was check for a pulse. Pressing her fingers against Celeste's neck, she could feel a faint pulse.

"Just hold on hold on hold on…. We're just entering the first layer of the atmosphere, we should be getting to Mexico within a few minutes," Thalia muttered to herself.

Celeste might not have a few minutes. For all they knew, she could have mere seconds. Every five seconds, Camille kept making sure she still had a pulse. Although with every second it grew weaker.

Five minutes and Thalia was pressing buttons, pulling levers, preparing for landing. Camille wanted to look outside, to see their new surroundings, but she didn't dare leave her dying friends side. Not until there was life in her eyes.

Thalia launched off the chair as soon as the ramp started extending, running over to help Camille carry Celeste's body. Since their friend was taller then both of them, it was a tricky job, but Thalia was strong from working on the farm. Stronger then Camille, that's for darn sure.

Camille noticed they'd landed in a small village, with one specific promising sign. She noticed immediately why Thalia had chosen to land there, it was small, but most importantly- a relatively big building stood in the middle of the town square with a sign reading 'doctor'.

Thankfully, a boy ran out of the building and took Celeste from them. His skin was the color of a light almond, with dark brown eyes and curly brown hair. He had broad shoulders and arms that had an impressive amount of muscles considering most probably 16 year old boys just sat around all day on their portscreens.

There was something about him that made Camille's heart flutter from the moment she saw him rushing out to grab Celeste from them.

"Hey, guys. Here, let me take her. You guys look weary. She'll be looked at right away…. Oh god, she isn't breathing!" he exclaimed, panic rising in his voice. He sprinted back into the building with Camille and Thalia following closely behind.

Celeste was brought into one of various rooms down the corridor. A girl with a dark tan and long purple hair pulled into a sleek ponytail, probably dyed, lay her down on a cot. Camille and Thalia against the wall, wondering if they were even allowed to be in there. The boy was helping the girl.

They immediately had an oxygen mask on Celeste's face after the girl pressed two hands on her chest and pushed hard, once, twice, three times. Celeste gasped, a horrid sound before the mask went on.

Camille watched intently as they worked on Celeste, shining a light in her eyes and doing whatever else. One time, Celeste tried to set up, but fell backward with a grunt. Stars above, she felt like she was drowning in worry for her friend.

It took hours before they decided Celeste could walk, with the aid of her friends, of course.  
"You should be ok to get up with fainting, by now," the cute boy exclaimed. "Your friends should probably stay right beside you, just in case, though. There's a hotel just across the street, I'm staying there as well with my parents. If you wanted, I'm pretty sure the room next door is free…. Cheap to but good service," he added, gesturing at Camille and Thalia.

Celeste slowly sat up, rubbing her forehead. Sliding off the cot, she wobbled but Thalia was there to steady her. Camille wrapped her arms around her friend, another small tear slipping down her cheek.

Straightening up, she turned to the cute boy.

"Thank you for…. For…. Saving my friend, I… I…. app-appreciate it," Camille stuttered. She'd never before been so nervous, or stuttery. "I never caught your name? Mine's Camille," she added with what she hoped to be a flirty smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Camille. My name's Darien. Darien Clay," the boy- no- Darien, exclaimed, reaching out a hand to shake. He'd said the last part with a cautious smile, and it took a minute for her to figure out why.

"Darien Clay? Clay…. Jacin Clay! My parents are friends with your parents! So are my friends…. You probably have heard of us then, Camille Carswell, Celeste Blackburn and Thalia Kesley!" Camille exclaimed, gesturing to each of her friends as she introduced them. She reached out her hand to Darien's extended, but instead of a handshake, he gently took her hand and brushed a kiss along her knuckles. Camille desperately hoped he didn't notice how she was blushing like mad. Thalia smirked, earning a very hard elbow to the gut which was promptly returned.

Her legs suddenly not working, she stumbled out of the office towards the hotel Darien had told her and her friends about. They'd decided it would be best if Thalia helped Celeste walk seeing as she was the strongest.

They asked the lady at the front desk about available rooms and the price, and Camille noticed the lady was an escort droid seeing as how perfect her proportions were. Something she was good at, though the skill wasn't exactly handy, was pointing out escort droids.

"There's only one room available right now, room 23. If you'd like it, it has two beds, a couch and a netscreen, plus a small kitchen and big bathroom," the escort droid exclaimed brightly. "It's only five univs a day, which I might add is fifteen cheaper considered to the other one down the street," she added, fluttering her eyelashes as she spoke, a warm smile on her face.

"Sure… We'll take it. I can… pay," Celeste spoke out, holding out her wrist. "We're thinking…. A week…. Should be.. Good" she added. Camille noticed Thalia frowning at Celeste being out of breath.

"May I see your wrist to make the payment?" the escort droid asked. Celeste extended her arm.

"Thank you! I hope you have a lovely stay at the hotel, if you have any concerns or problems bring them to the front desk. Enjoy your day!" the droid exclaimed brightly, gesturing towards a pair of stairs that led to the second floor. Camille glanced around for an elevator, which would be easier for her friend, but it seemed Celeste would have to climb the stairs.

When they reached the stairs, Celeste made a raspy sound with her throat. Camille twisted towards her friend, her eyebrows knit in concern.

"Are you ok? I can…. Go get… D…. Darien if you need more help," Camille whispered the last part. Thalia smirked, again.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? Maybe go makeout in the alley behind the building, to," Thalia snorted. Celeste rolled her eyes while Camille was sure she was red as a tomato.

"Real funny, Thalia," Camille muttered. Although she would never admit it, it didn't seem like the worst plan ever….

"I think I'll be fine," Celeste added when Camille and Thalia had stopped arguing. Camille nodded. Grabbing the card the escort had given them, she swiped it on the small mechanism on door 23. It beeped, flashed green then slid open.

Celeste immediately flopped on one of the beds, rolling over with a groan, her breathing still raspy. Camille was honestly concerned.

They sat around, watching the news on the netscreen in the room when Camille heard two knocks on the door. Getting up from the bed she shared with Thalia, she strode over to the door.

When it slid open, Camille barely hid her surprise at seeing Darien on the other end.

"D…. Darien! Um…. It's good to see you…. We just saw each other like an hour ago. I'm bad at conversing at this current moment. It's good you're here, though, Celeste…. Her breath is raspy," Camille explained, glad for how she made up for stuttering. Darien flashed a smile, before stepping into the room.

"I came to give you some medicine that we forgot to give you earlier, it should help with your breathing. Camille said it's raspy? Are you feeling dizzy, as well?" Darien asked, handing Celeste a clear bottle with cherry pink liquid inside.

"Thank you…. Um…. Yeah…. Talking is…. Hard, to…." Celeste murmured. Darien frowned.

"If you don't mind me doing so, can I check your temperature real quick?" Darien asked. Celeste nodded before dissolving into a fit of coughing. When she finished, Darien brushed some hair out of the way and lay his wrist against her forehead. Camille immediately shoved down the hint of jealousy that he was touching her. Her friend was sick, and she was worried about a boy? Real good job, Camille, real good job, she told herself.

"Hmm…. No fever. Odd. Anyways, one tablespoon of that a day for three days. It doesn't taste that great but it should help," Darien added. Celeste nodded, thanking him again. Darien smiled, turning to go. When he passed her in the hallway, though, he froze, turning towards her.

"If you don't have anything else to do… I'm kind of bored, and it might be cool, I guess, but would you like to take a walk with me? There's a really cool place I think you _might_ like," he suggested. Camille's heart skipped a beat, and she barely managed a nod. She could hear Thalia's very loud snort in the distance as Darien took her hand and brought her outside of the hotel.

His skin was warm to the touch, and walking beside him Camille felt safe. Happy. She knew it was literally way to early to think this, after all, they'd only known each other for an hour, but she began to hope. Hope for something probably impossible.

 **A/N: Hola! So I hope you guys liked that. I decided not to end it with TO much of a cliffhanger, but you never know what will happen on their walk *grins wickedly*. Have fun anticipating the next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hi guys! I'm back! Again…. xD**

 **Zane's POV**

Zane's eyes slowly opened. At first, he thought he was blind. Then, he realized it was just really, _really_ dark. He tried to stand up, to stretch, then he realized he was bound to the wall. His hands were both in metal clamps, attached to the wall by one link of chain. Since it was low on the wall, it forced him to sit. More chains were wrapped tightly around his ankles, because he _totally_ would've been able to escape with his feet.

Closing his eyes, Zane struggled to remember what had happened. Slowly, the memories came back to him.

He'd been sitting on his bed, reading his portscreen when he heard screaming and snarling from outside his bedroom door. It was ripped open, and three dark figures charged in. Before he could even try and manipulate them, though, he'd felt a sharp sting in his neck before blacking out. He thought he maybe remembered his sister, Celeste, trying to rescue him. It could've been just a dream, though.

His head hurt, everything hurt. When he tried to stretch his consciousness out, his mind felt like it was trying to roll a hundred pound block of stone up a cliff. Sighing, he tried to figure out how he could escape. It seemed impossible.

Defeated, Zane slumped back against the wall just as the door to his cell swung open. A dim light filled the impossibly dark room as one of the figures he remembered stomped towards him.

Zane took his chance, trying to manipulate the monster. Or man? But his head hurt to much. The creature smirked, as if noticing Zane's frustration. He watched as the creature took a key out of his jacket and unlocked the metal bands around his wrists. Zane struggled to get up, to fight, or do something, but already he was hoisted over the things back.

Realizing that he wouldn't be able to fight his way out, Zane instead tried to memorize the path they took. He was only able to figure out one thing. Judging by the carvings on the walls, they were in an ancient temple. Aztec?

As they walked, the light grew brighter. The creature dropped Zane roughly on the floor. Loud snickering greeted them.

"Strip his shirt- he won't be needing it for the interrogation. Chain him to the wall!" a voice exclaimed. Zane gulped, but had no time to do anything before his silk shirt was ripped off his back, and the same rough hands pulled him to the feet and held him against the wall, his back facing away from it. His arms were held up, and metal bands clipped around them, linked to the wall by one chain like before. Even though his feet didn't even touch the ground, they put metal bands around them, as well. Grunting from the pain of being suspended by his arms, which for the record hurt like hell, Zane waited to see what would happen to him. He expected some form of torture. Why, he didn't know. Plus, interrogation? What could he _possibly_ know? Though yeah, he was the Prince of Luna, it wasn't like his parents told him that much.

"Ok, _boy,_ here's how this works. You give us straight forward answers, we spare you the pain. Got it?" the voice from before asked. Zane barely managed an awkward nod seeing as how his head was pressed against a wall.

"Where are they keeping the rest of the late Queen Levana's soldiers?" the voice demanded. Zane tried to decide whether or not he should tell them. If he did, it would be catastrophic. And, it would be his fault. If he didn't…. They would kill him. He was sure of it.

"I…. I don't know…. My parents never told me anything about them," Zane muttered. He waited for the pain to come. It didn't.

"He's lying," a different voice finally said. Suddenly, he felt sharp claws shredding his back, one scratch, two, three deep scratches. Stars, it hurt. Zane tried to muffle his scream. He refused to be seen as weak.

"Answer. The. Question," the first voice repeated. Zane figured he was called the 'Alpha' judging by what he'd heard of the beasts he suspected of kidnapping him.

"I told you, I don't kno-" he was cut off by a scream, his own scream, as the claws came on his back again. It was obvious this one was deeper than the others. A tear slipped down his cheek before he could stop it.

"Alpha, we should just kill him now. If he won't answer our questions…."

"Yeah, I'm hungry!" muffled agreement.

"No. Keep him alive. He may be useful to us, still. In fact, I know the perfect person to help us figure it out…. I hear tell they came to the nearby town yesterday. Beta Lynn, go retrieve Camille. I hear she isn't to bad with hacking, just like her mother," the Alpha exclaimed. Zane heard one of the wolf mutants stomp away. "Actually…. Everyone besides this…. Pathetic Lunar's assigned guard, we're going to go for a small trip. We're going to capture that stupid earthen, as well. The Thalia one. Then, we'll wait until Celeste stumbles right into our clutches…. When everything's in place, we shall commence our plan!" the Alpha announced. A howl rang out.

"Shall I bring him back to his cell?" his guard asked.

"No…. Keep him here. His arms won't last long…." the Alpha replied. Zane gulped. His arms were already aching. How long would he be stuck here? Until his arms just like, what, fell off? He needed to save his friends. To…. To warn them. With his mind clouded by pain, though, he was entirely useless.

Zane hoped they would be ready.

 **Camille's POV**

Camille sat along the edge of the pond, dipping one of her bare feet into it. They'd been sitting here for at least an hour, making small talk and watching a group of deer on the other side. Then, suddenly Camille felt Darien's hand slip into hers. She blushed.

"So, I must ask, Camille, what are you doing here? With…. No parents?" Darien asked cautiously. Camille gulped before twisting around to face him.

"My… my friend, Princess Celeste, her brother, Prince Zane was kidnapped. Everyone's doing their best to find him, but we have a good strong lead. The reason why we aren't with parents is, well…. They didn't want us to leave, so we ran away…." Camille murmured. Darien frowned, before gently squeezing her hand.

"Can I help? Find…. Zane? If you guys wouldn't mind? For the record, though, you _do_ realize your parents won't like have you executed for leaving, right?" Darien asked with a smile.

"Of course you can help! And I don't really know that since we kind of disobeyed the Queen's orders like twice and I'm pretty sure that merits an execution…." Camille yammered on. Darien playfully nudged her in response, for which _she_ nudged him back even harder. Instead of nudging her back _even_ harder though, he leaned forwards and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. It was all Camille could do to not squeal with excitement.

"W…. Wha…. Wai…. Huh?" Camille stammered. Darien was blushing, but he had an easy smile on his face. He wrapped a steady arm around Camille's waist, gently pulling her closer to him. Camille finally allowed a small smile towards Darien.

Quite frankly, she felt like she belonged in his arms. Like, not to sound cheesy or anything, but it was perfect. She felt as though nothing could have ruined the moment. Of course, she was wrong.

Strong arms grabbed them both, pulling them away. Camille twisted to see who had attacked them, before looking back to see Darien already limp on the ground. Before she could scream for help, though, she felt a sharp sting in her neck before everything went black.

 **A/N: Hi guys! That was a bit shorter than usual, I think, but I hope you liked it! See you guys next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello friends! Sorry I haven't uploaded recently, I decided to take a bit of a writing break. I finally bring to you the next chapter of Beginning of the End!**

 **light-and-Shadows-Mist-and-ice: :D**

 **Thalia's POV**

Thalia was worried about Celeste's condition. Even more though, she worried about Camille. She'd much rather have been there with her friend. Besides, they should've been back by then.

Celeste almost jumped right off the bed all of a sudden, ripping Thalia out of her day dream of how she would tear Darien to shreds if he even hurt a single hair on Camille's body. She rushed over to steady her friend, wrapping a steady arm across her shoulder.

"Camille…. Camille, where is she?" Celeste demanded, scanning the room with a crazy glint in her eyes.

"Woah, Celeste, calm down. Camille went with that rotten Darien kid, remember?" Thalia replied in what she hoped was a calm voice. Celeste twisted around to face her and put a decidedly clammy hand on Thalia's arm.

"Then they already have her…. No, no no no….. I have to find her, and Zane…. This is what they want! But I have to," Celeste whimpered.

"WHAT? Where is she?! I swear to god I will _rip their heads off_!" Thalia screamed. Not Camille. They didn't get to take Camille. Darien, they could torture for all she cared (she didn't tell any of this to Celeste, obviously) but they weren't allowed to so much as touch a single hair on her friends head.

Growling, Thalia went over to her small bag she'd brought from her house that contained a few supplies she thought they might need. Including her two favorite things for going on a little trip.

When she turned eleven, just like her Great Grandmother, Scarlet had given her a pistol.

" _Mom, why would I need a gun? I'm only eleven," Thalia exclaimed, barely hiding the excitement in her voice. Carefully she reached over to pick up the gun. It felt right in her hands._

" _When I was eleven, my Grand-mère gave me the same thing, sweets. You never know when you might need one," Scarlet replied._

Thalia also pulled out something neither of her parents knew about, although she suspected Wolf knew she had it. It was a silver knife, with a grip that had practically molded to the shape of her fingers and hand. She was particularly good with the knife. Although, unfortunately she'd never gotten to test it out in a fight.

Celeste's eyes went wide open when she saw Thalia's weapons. Thalia smirked.

"You simply never know when you might need one. I'm assuming you wish to come? Here's the problem, Celeste. You can barely walk. Stay here, and let me handle it," Thalia said.

"Look, Thalia, you know as much as I do how much I want to help-" Celeste started but Thalia cut her off with a sharp glare. Sighing, she reached into her bag and pulled out two other things. One was a wristband and the other was a small silver circle about a half an inch wide. They both had a small blue button on the middle that gave off a faint glow. Thalia passed the wristband to Celeste.

"Here, wear this. If I'm in trouble, I'm going to press the small button on mine. I'm going to hide it somewhere on me so they won't find it though, obviously. The blue light will go red and flash three times. Then a small holograph will pop up, showing a map of my general surroundings and where I am. If it's crushed, it'll show you the location I was right before mine gets destroyed. Got it?" Thalia explained. Celeste shakily nodded.

Grumbling about not having a belt to strap her knife to, Thalia slipped it into her boot. Everyone said it didn't work like in the movies from the second era, but Thalia always found it worked ok for her. Next she slipped her gun holster onto her jeans, tightening the clip so it wouldn't fall off.  
Taking a deep breath, Thalia gave one last smile towards Celeste before leaving the small hotel.

Upon setting a single foot outside, she knew something was wrong. It hadn't been this quiet when they'd gotten there. With a small growl, she slid into the alleyway which opened up onto a small path. She blended in with the shadows, thank the gods. (And yes, all these era's past their 'time' Thalia still strongly believed in the Greek Gods).

She'd been following the path for a few minutes when it opened up to reveal a small pond that lapped quietly at the shore around it. Thalia could barely hide her gasp when she saw the signs of a scuffle. What unnerved her more was the sign of blood on the ground, and two smashed ID chips.

"Oh, Camille, I'm so sorry…." Thalia whimpered, gently scooping up the chip that belonged to Camille. Carefully she slid it into her shorts pockets before scanning the ground for signs of where their attacker went. She had to look for a good while before she saw very faint footprints leading into the tall, dry grass.

Looking once more around her surroundings, Thalia swiftly followed.

 **A/N: Hi guys! I hope that was like…. Semi ok at least! If you have any suggestions or anything please let me know!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sup! XD (the answer is the sky/ceiling btw unless you're hanging upside down) Anyways, new chapter, yayyy :D Enjoy (that might change by the end HINT HINT) Also two quick things- this chapter will be really long, and as well there is some violence in it so if you don't like that I advice not reading! :)**

 **light-and-Shadows-Mist-and-ice: I'm surprised you noticed that! Good job! At the time I wasn't thinking panic switch then I was like wait…. Just tweek the idea then it's basically a panic switch thing :O Anyways, you'll have to ask *cough* Wolf *cough* where Thalia got the knife ;)**

 **Thalia's POV**

As she ran through the forest, the big beasts footprints below her, Thalia could've swore something was following her. Every time she twisted to see who it was though, she saw no one. Scowling, she continued following the traces of Camille's kidnappers. Darien's, as well, although Thalia could care less about his surviving. Call her mean, but she was protective over Camille.

Soon, a faint golden glow could be seen in between the tree branches ahead. Thalia sucked in a breath- this had to be it. The Aztec temple Celeste had foreseen. She pushed her legs to go even harder, until suddenly they stopped moving- against her will. Her mind flooded with rage. Whoever thought they had ANY right to strip her of her free will would get a nasty surprise when they released their control. A quick slice with her kni- suddenly the figure stepped into view. Celeste. Stars, what the hell did she think she was doing outside of the hotel?!

Celeste's hold left Thalia. Her knees buckled but Thalia managed to catch herself and avoid a face full of dirt. She stood up, twisting to face her friend.

"Two things- WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING OUT OF THE HOTEL?! Second of all, don't _ever_ do your freaky mind control thing on me ever again!" Thalia ordered. Celeste's face fell towards the ground.

"I…. I'm sorry, Thalia…. I couldn't let you go in there alone, though, and this was the only way to have you avoid…. Well, not to sound harsh or mean but killing me with that knife of yours if I revealed myself before you could see my face," Celeste murmured. "Besides, without me you wouldn't have known about the two guards hidden by the entrance to the temple," Celeste added quietly.

"I assure you, I could've killed them just fine," Thalia muttered to herself. Of course Celeste heard but she didn't say anything. Sighing in frustration, Thalia stumbled over to give her a friend a hug.

"I don't want you to get hurt. I'm expendable- no one cares about me. I can't let you throw yourself into a dangerous situation, though," Thalia whispered into her friends ear. She willed the horrible image of her friend sprawled on the ground, blood pooling around her.

"I'll be alright. Together we'll be alright," Celeste replied soothingly. Blinking the tears from her eyes, Thalia nodded and stepped back.

"So, what's the plan of attack?" Thalia asked.

"I don't trust my mind not to give out again- I'm going to save it for when we're facing the bulk of the pack. If you're going to kill the guards without raising the alarm or, you know, getting eaten, you'll need to be swift. The one closest is hiding in that tree" Celeste pointed to a bushy tree by the temple "shoot that one with your gun, then you'll need to beat the other guard to the door and…." Celeste took a deep breath before continuing. Thalia could tell she wasn't comfortable with saying how to kill someone or something. "Slice the other's throat so he can't call for backup," Celeste managed to say.

Thalia nodded understandingly, readying her gun and searching the leaves for the one guard. She couldn't be seen, so she crept as close to the edge of the tree line as she dared, before trying to find the beast. A small spot of brown fur showed behind a small patch of leaves. Taking a deep breath, Thalia moved the aim of her gun to where the rest of the wolf would be hiding. She pulled the trigger before she could think about it, and a small yelp rang out of the clearing before the body fell to the ground.

Immediately Thalia pulled out her knife and sprinted to the entrance. Just like Celeste said, the second guard came running out of some bushes, still not noticing her. He was gaining on her, but Thalia ran like a gazelle would from a lion. She leaped forwards as soon as she was close enough, raising her knife, but instead of it connecting with the wolves neck, it connected with an arm raised to block.

A small yelp was all she got. He turned to face her, a hungry smile greeting her. He dashed forwards to strike with his nasty sharp claws, however Thalia ducked and rolled under him, striking out at his leg. Quickly she turned to stand, but the wolf was faster when she tried to roll under him again. Two claws cut into her arms and Thalia let out a shrill scream. Raising her good arm to block a second strike, she blinked through the tears and shifted forwards, this time getting a clean slice on his neck.

Thalia collapsed to the ground the same time he did. She barely noticed Celeste charging out of the woods towards her, wrapping her arms around her. Gritting her teeth through the stinging pain, Thalia stumbled up.

"Something to…. Wrap with?" Thalia murmured. Celeste tore off a piece of fabric from her tank top, giving her a rather awkward slight crop top before tying it tightly around the wound. Taking a deep breath, Thalia shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the pain.

"Right…. Now…." Thalia breathed.

"This time we'll stay together. I we'll find the pack in the center of the temple, but first we need to save our friends if we'll survive the pack. They're trapped in the bottom part of the temple, with three guards. I can barely control that many for a brief time so you'll need to be quick with…. With…" Thalia nodded in understanding.

Together they took of through the temple, quickly finding stairs. Thalia noticed her friend stopping to stare at the drawings on the wall, and though she felt like a jerk about it Thalia nudged her forwards. Thankfully, on the way they only ran into one Wolf guard which fell quickly.

Suddenly the air started smelling particularly musty when they reached the bottom of the stairs. A snarl rang through the small corridor, and just before claws came slashing across Thalia's face, Celeste froze all three guards. Thalia made quick work of them. Her friend took a dizzying step forwards, and Thalia caught her on one shoulder before her friend could collapse. They stumbled forwards until three barred rooms came into view, two of which were occupied.

Celeste pushed away from Thalia and stumbled towards the first one, tears streaming down her cheeks. Thalia watched as Celeste grabbed the bars tightly, leaning her face into them and speaking soft words only she and the prisoner could hear. She knew her friend had finally found her brother. Sighing, Thalia looked around for keys. Growling softly to herself, she knelt by one of the dead bodies.

It was rather difficult to help roll him over, but finally Thalia managed to shove him over to the other side. She searched his pockets and finally her hands bumped into something cold that jingled. Grabbing them, she pulled them out and ran to her friends.

Thankfully, there was only one key on the ring which avoided lots of trial and error, and precious time lost before the others realized they were here. Surely they could smell them? Thalia decided not to dwell on why they weren't storming the place.

The lock was stiff, and Thalia had to wrench the keys in order to open Zane's cage. She stifled a gasp when she saw her sort of friend's wounds. He was chained to the wall, hanging by only his wrists. Zane's shirt had been stripped off, revealing nasty claw wounds on his back that were sure to scar. Handing the keys to Celeste, Thalia stumbled towards him to catch him when Celeste unlocked his chains. She could barely tell if he was alive.  
Grunting a bit when he collapsed into her arms, Thalia dragged him outside and ordered Celeste to unlock the other cage while she tended to Zane. It was harsh, yes, but Thalia had slightly more medical experience then her friend. Zane's eyes were closed, but after one well placed slap, his eyelids fluttered open. He sucked in a breath, and Thalia watched as his eyes focused on her.

"Th…. Thalia? You can't be here! Have they kidnapped you? Celeste, Celeste is she here?" Zane exclaimed with a worried edge to his voice. Arms suddenly wrapped around him as Celeste hugged him tight. Sighing at her friends low capacity of doing what she was told, _just_ like Cinder and Kai, Thalia snatched the keys away and went to work trying to unlock Camille's and Darien's cage. They, thankfully were not chained up but were however unconscious. Thalia felt her lip curl in a snarl when she noticed Darien's arm wrapped around Camille. No matter though, they were kind of thrown into a prison so she attempted to allow a tad bit of sympathy thrown in for the kid who'd been dragged into this.

Unfortunately, Darien was considerably more difficult to drag then Zane. Rolling her eyes, Thalia decided to scoop up Camille in her arms and carry her to rest beside Zane. Next she and Celeste dragged Darien out.

Thalia grabbed Camille's shoulders and shook her _very_ hard until finally her eyelids fluttered open as well.

"Camille! Camille, I'm so _so_ sorry this happened to you…. It should've been me," Thalia whimpered, wrapping her arms into a fierce hug around her friend. Camille simply nodded, seemingly unable to form words.  
Next, Thalia moved over to Darien. She was okay saying she took particular pleasure in the slap that woke him up. He jolted awake, and the first god's damn question he asked was "where's Camille? Is she ok?"

"She's not okay, thanks to _you,_ " Thalia growled.

"I…. I wouldn't hurt her," Darien replied weakly.

"Hey, Thalia, loosen up a bit," Celeste scolded. Thalia gave a death glare directed towards Darien before helping Camille to stand. Turning to Celeste, she asked what they should do next.

"Well, they sure won't be of much help anytime soon. They need to rest a bit. I say we leave them here and go deal with our hosts ourselves," Celeste replied. Zane frowned, tilting his head towards his sister.

"What does your vision tell you?" He asked. Thalia marveled at the fact that he knew his sister was trying to change the future. She wondered why. Surprisingly, Celeste crumpled to the ground at the question, her reply coming in sobs towards the end.

"We… We all go…. Darien gives you guys a special hidden vial of some liquid that lets you recover way quicker…. But….. I….. Can't….. Zane, I can't see past when we encounter the Wolves…. It just… All goes dark," Celeste sobbed. Thalia's eyes widened at that. Why would it go dark? Surely it didn't mean….. No…. No, she refused to accept that. On cue, Darien gave Camille and Zane his special drink.

Like the vision promised, they recovered rapidly. Zane took his sisters hand and they touched foreheads. He whispered some promise to her that Thalia didn't quite pick up. Shooting a death glare at Darien as he took Camille's hand, Thalia then took the lead of the group back up the stairs to what she hoped was the middle of the temple.

Her knife gripped tightly in one hand, she stalked through the dim corridors, barely managing to keep her bearings through all the twists and turns. Just when she was about to say they were lost though, a bright flicker of torchlight could be seen from another twist in the corridor.

"Everyone, stay here, I'm going to scout ahead," Thalia whispered to her friends who all looked like they wanted to disagree but ended up all nodding. Thalia crept forwards. Taking a deep breath, she peeked her head around the corner and stifled a gasp at what she saw. A group of around four wolves, (to much for Celeste to control at her current mental state and she doubted Zane was strong enough yet) all huddled around one pedestal in the center of the room.

Before they could spot her, she whorled back around and quietly ran back to her friends, describing the odd scene. Celeste shut her eyes, and Thalia figured she was scanning her previous visions and her general knowledge of what it could be. Her face remained frustrated when her eyes opened again.

"I'm not sure what it is, but it can't be good. Everyone, stay together," Celeste whispered, gesturing that they move towards the wolves. Thalia made sure she was in front.

When they turned the corner, before she could launch herself at the nearest wolf, they were stopped by the faces of all of them on them.

"Well well well. If it isn't Princess Celeste Blackburn of Luna herself, here with her bodyguard!" the Alpha's voice boomed. The rest smiled crookedly. Apparently wolf mutants didn't see the dentist.

"She's _not_ my bodyguard. She's my friend," Celeste retorted with gritted teeth. Thalia pushed her shoulders back and tilted her chin up at this comment, her steely gaze fixed on the demons before her.

"Sure. We'll let you believe that. Now, what do you guys think you'll do?" the Alpha replied.

"I'm going to kill you," Thalia shot back, taking a step forwards.

"Uh uh uh, no you don't, pretty girl. You're the daughter of that traitor, aren't you? Now, look. One more step and this _entire_ place blows. You folks are going to come along peacefully now. Drop your weapons, hands up and small steps forwards," the Alpha ordered, pointing a finger to where he wanted them to stand. Slowly, Thalia started forwards.

" _The knife and gun"_ One of the wolves repeated. Thalia shot a cold smile at him before grabbing her gun and swiftly shooting the Alpha in the head. He collapsed, but before anyone could 'blow the place up' Thalia shot forwards and drove her knife into the heart of another Wolf. Swinging around and kicking another in the knee with a satisfying crack, Thalia was about to slice the other's neck when he jumped forth and pressed the small stone button on the pedestal. He fell just as soon.

Growling, Thalia felt the ground rumble under her feet.

"QUICK, EVERYONE OUT!" Thalia screamed, charging forwards to the exit, herding her friends in front of her. The rumbling grew and grew until small stones were falling from the walls and ceiling.

When she saw daylight pierce the dark haze of the tunnels, Thalia shoved her friends forwards. She had every means to get them out alive, even if she died saving them. They were almost out safely, except ahead the ceiling crumbled. Thalia screamed with frustration, pushing her friends aside towards the rubble.

The walls were literally shaking now, huge chunks falling behind them. Desperately Thalia shoved the fallen rocks away, until she could see a small ray of sunlight. Still she kept removing rocks, but she was stopped by a sudden deeper rumbling then a deep BOOM! The red glow of fire raced down the corridor, closer to them by the second. Thalia tried to get to her friends, to wrap them in her arms, save them from the fire but it was no use when a bright flash appeared over her vision and a second, deeper boom followed. Rocks and rubble exploded around them, flinging Thalia far away from the temple. She slammed into the solid trunk of a tree, earning a solid crack, from her back, head or tree, she didn't know. The last thing she saw was rock and fire raining down from the red sky.

Thalia's eyes slowly opened. Her head hurt, like being slammed into something hard. A sharp pain flared from her lower back. Though her arms felt incredibly sore and absolutely did not want to move, she reached back to feel if her back was broken. Arching her back, she felt a pop followed by another flare of pain before it faded. With a small scream from her pain, she stumbled to a sitting position. Behind her was the tree she'd been flung into, it was now only half a tree.  
To be honest, it was a miracle she was alive. Then the memories flooded back. With a sudden sense of urgency, Thalia stumbled forwards, barely managing not to trip over all the small rocks and big ones which littered the ground. Desperately she scanned the area for her friends. After a few minutes of searching, she found them.

Running hurt, but she managed to run towards them, tears streaming down her grimy face. Her knees buckled just as she reached the nearest body. Arms trembling, she rolled Celeste over, brushing hair out of her face. A sharp cry rang out when she saw the eyes staring blankly back at her.

"No no no no no! CELESTE NO!" Thalia screamed, cradling the body to her own as if she could share her life force. Blinking the tears away, she looked around towards the others. Gods forbid they didn't make it.

The next nearest one was dear Camille. Sweet, sweet little Camille who wouldn't have hurt a fly, who didn't deserve this…. Her body shook with sobs as she noticed the horrible burns, the chest that didn't rise and fall. Shaking, she pressed her fingers against her friends neck, trying to check for a pulse. Nothing. Just cold, lifeless skin.  
Zane was also dead. Celeste didn't feel quite as anguished over that, yet she still shed more tears for him. Darien, to, lay lifeless, sprawled across the ground, his neck at an unnatural angle. Thalia had bitter angry tears for him.

"If you hadn't brought her to that damn pond, CAMILLE MIGHT STILL BE ALIVE!" Thalia screamed. Even though she was screaming at a corpse.

How had it all gone wrong? She'd tried so hard to get them out safely…. How had she been the only one to escape? Then a few words drifted through her mind, one's she hadn't noticed when she'd woken up.

 _Saving you was the only way to save the world… The only future where the wolves didn't slaughter everything. I had to, Thalia, and you might hate me but I wouldn't let you die. Not after how hard you tried to save us. You truly deserved to be live._

 **A/N: Um…. So that happened. Try not to kill me, though I'm afraid it may be inevitable. Sorry Carin!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hi guys! If anyone's still reading after last chapter xD Second maybe fiftieth apology for that! This chapter won't be quite as long I don't think.**

 **light-and-Shadows-Mist-and-ice: Sorryyy!**

 **Thalia's POV**

Thalia had no idea how best to go about this. Her entire life, torn and thrown back at her, smashed and broken. How did anyone recover from this? It was impossible. All the guilt, the grief, it crushed her spirit, flattening and burning it to ashes. She could barely remember who she was, and what she was fighting for.

Surely she could've done something to save them. That message in her head…. Why did Celeste use the last of her strength to save _her?_ Why not herself, or Camille, or Zane? What had she _possibly_ done to deserve being saved?

Truth be told, it was almost worse being the only one who lived. The grief, the despair, the guilt. Dying meant you didn't take any of that with you. Living meant having those weights on your shoulders for eternity.

Fresh tears slipped down her flushed cheeks, her eyes red from crying. Her puffy eyelids blinked them away, and she used a grimy hand to swipe her cheeks clean. Stumbling to a standing position, Thalia took one last look at the destruction. _I was so close to saving them._ The thought kept recycling through her mind, bringing on wave after wave of emotions she didn't need right now.

Ripping her gaze from the bodies she so desperately wished would turn into smiling, live faces, Thalia ran. She didn't know to where, only that she _needed_ to get away from here before it tore her to shreds. Twice she almost tripped on tree roots, and she had to slice a few vines out of her way with her bloodied knife.

 _How was it possible I wasn't able to kill all of them before they…. They…. I should've been able to do it…. My fault, my fault, my fault…._ Thalia's mind was a constant state of swirling guilt, continuously intensifying into a raging storm as she convinced herself she could've done something.

After at least half an hour of running, Thalia collapsed against a big tree. Small needles stuck into the flesh of her legs, but she didn't care. She didn't care about the pain that had returned from the claws which had shredded her skin.

 _I deserve it. I deserve it and so,_ so _much more. It should've been me who'd died…._ Thalia collapsed her head into her hands, her body shaking with quiet sobs. She knew she was lost. She had a general idea where the town was, but any wrong turn would instantly confuse her mental gps which was always calculating where exactly she was.

 _Maybe I'll die out here. A slow, painful death. Starvation, dehydration, maybe even a stupid Jaguar will come along and eat me. I deserve the absolute worst,_ she thought to herself.

She barely noticed the quiet crunch of feet padding on leaves. If it was someone come to kill her, good. That was exactly what she deserved, she convinced herself. The sound came closer, until whatever it was sat down beside her. Thalia flinched as warm arms embraced her, warm hand rubbing her back gently. Her sobbing came out in heaving wails now, muttering that it was all her fault. Then, a quiet voice, whispering in her ear.

"It's ok. You're safe now, it'll all work out ok," the voice whispered. Thalia sniffled, wiping her eyes on her arm before looking up to see who this person was.

The girl who sat beside her had warm honey colored eyes, dark tan colored skin. Her hair was a deep brown, almost black. It was tied in a sloppy braid which rested gently over her shoulder. She looked to be about Thalia's age, with big eyes and full lips. _She was beautiful,_ her previously storming mind whispered. Thalia beat the thought to bloody hell.

"What happened? Why are you out in the woods alone?" the girl asked, her voice soothing like a melody. Sniffling, Thalia ducked her head in absolute shame.

"There was…. An explosion…. They're all gone…." Thalia whimpered. More sobs overcame her. The girl hugged her tighter, resting her head on Thalia's shoulder.

"And you think it was your fault? That they're gone?" the girl asked warmly. Thalia barely managed a nod through her shaking.

"I'm sure it's not. It's your brain trying to make you collapse from the inner storm by launching all sorts of 'what if's' at you. The best way to combat that, to heal, is to go over the events clearly, without the what if's, and see that there was probably nothing you could do. I'm sure you tried your best," the girl whispered in response.

Taking a deep breath, Thalia tried to clear her mind. To go over the events again. There really hadn't been anything she could've done- she'd tried her absolute hardest to get them all out alive. Slowly, the sobs retreated, leaving dry eyes and red cheeks. Thalia brushed her knotted hair out of her face, looking at the girl again.

"What's…. What's your name?" She asked quietly. Thalia felt weird not knowing her name and not introducing herself properly. "I'm Tha…. Thalia," she managed to say without breaking down again. She hated being this weak, this fragile.

"It's my pleasure to meet you, Thalia. Even under such dire circumstances. My name's Vera," the girl- Vera- replied gently. Thalia whispered the name, letting it get used to being spoken.

"That's a lovely name, wait…. Dire? Is something else going on?" Thalia asked, her voice getting stronger. Vera's eyes clouded over, the honey color shifting to a cold grey.

"I'm afraid so…. Everyone heard about the explosion of the ancient Aztec temple. That was you guys, wasn't it?" Thalia nodded and Vera continued on. "Well, at that moment there have been so many attacks that started raging across Earth _and_ Luna. It's so weird, and scary. The beasts…. The ones Queen Cinder Blackburn locked up in a secret sector? They've broken free, but it's weird…. Like…. Like someone is controlling them. They haven't shown any signs of aggression before today. Multiple sectors have already fallen to complete bloodshed, and Cinder and Kai are trying to get everyone into the capital where the gates should hold," Vera whispered, staring off into the distance.

"It's not just Luna though, there seems to have been… Secret reserves of the beasts on Earth. No one knows where they came from, but there are cities burning right now. No one's prepared, and it's so hard to kill even one of them…. It's terrifying. The problem is, no one can figure out who's controlling them. If we don't find this person, it's fully possible that…." Vera paused. Thalia nudged her onwards. Vera looked straight at Thalia as she said the last part, her stormy eyes piercing her soul.

"This may be the end of the world"

 **A/N: Hi guys! I hope that was like semi okay! It was kind of a short chapter, but I couldn't just leave Thalia to fend for herself! She needs a ship! ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Hello! Sorry for not updating in awhile, I've been on a huge trip and plus a week long all day sort of summer camp! So I'm not sure when this will be posted. Who knows!**

 **Since it's been so long since last update, I've decided i'm just going to add a quick summary for any who've kind of forgotten what's happened so far. :) If you remember, you don't need to read it! ;)**

 **Zane, Celeste's twin brother was kidnapped by the weird wolf mutants. Celeste, Camille and Thalia set out to find him, Celeste blacks out from to much strain on her mind in space, so Thalia flies them to somewhere in Mexico by an aztec temple. There they meet Darien, (correct me if that's not his name xD) and after tending to Celeste he brings Camille to a pond where they get kidnapped by the beasts. Celeste and Thalia track them to the temple, where Thalia gets injured fighting one of the wolf humans. They break into the temple, free their friends, then they find a group of wolf dudes hovering around a button. Thalia tries to kill them all before they can press it, but one survives long enough to do so, blowing up the temple. Thalia was only saved because Celeste used the last of her strength to save Thalia. Celeste, Zane, Camille, Darien alllll died. Thalia ran away and soon she met Vera and they started talking. Then since things just HAD TO GET WORSE, there are currently wolf dude mutant things attacking both Luna and Earth. In case any of you are wondering why that summary doesn't sound at all professional, that is because those would've been how I'd have directly summarized it in my own voice without a drop of authoryness. ;)**

 **light-and-Shadows-Mist-and-ice: I don't know yet if it will end….. BUT IT MIGHT or you know I'll be nice for once. Hard to say.**

 **Vera's POV**

As soon as the girl, Thalia, had calmed down and the sobs no longer regularly returned, Vera pulled the girl's hurt arm over her shoulder and hoisted her up to her feet. There was one thing she hadn't told the girl- how close one of the attack's were at this very moment. Only two hours away. Vera feared for their lives, but she wasn't about to let someone die. Not after her cowardice.

 _Fire licked the walls of the small, worn house. Smoke filled the air, causing Vera to cough and her eyes water. Her mother ran towards her, pulling her in tight for a hug._

" _Ver, you need to go. You need to leave, right now. Run. And…. Don't look back, promise me that! They want you dead, but I'm not going to let them take you. Go north from here, five hours, and you'll find a small abandoned cabin. It has everything you'll need to survive. Go- hurry!" her mother said, worry and fear laced through her voice._

 _Blinking back tears, Vera hugged her mother tightly before turning to run. A part of the ceiling collapsed behind her, hiding her mother from sight. Picking up one of the few chairs in their house, Vera smashed it through a window on the back end of the house. Through all the smoke and flames, they wouldn't be able to tell she'd escaped. When, or if they did, she would be long gone._

 _It was horrible- leaving her mother, when she should've tried to save her as well. And all they'd wanted was her._

 _Vera had been an abandoned shell- her adoptive mother, which she called her mother, had found her not far in the woods in a small cradle, her actual parents nowhere to be seen. Ever since, the police had been searching for them, and when they found her they didn't hesitate to torch their house, hoping she'd burn alive._

 _At the top of a hill, Vera twisted around to see the house now completely enveloped in flames. The smoke rose at least thirty feet high, sending a grey haze over the sun. Whimpering, she turned and ran._

Vera shook her head, hard, to get rid of the day dream. It had haunted her dreams ever since. She should've turned herself in, took her mother with her. So why didn't she? Her adoptive mother had taught her to be obedient, but they still had so much fun together. Vera's mind hadn't bothered to question a command until her mind had cleared from all the smoke. Now, her mother was dead.

"What's wrong?" Thalia asked, frowning.

"I uh…. Nothing," Vera replied hastily. Thalia scowled but said nothing.

"Come with me. We need to move, quick. It's just over there," Vera exclaimed, pointing to a grove of tightly woven trees.

"I just see trees. You mean beyond them?" Thalia wondered, squinting. Vera's side of her mouth twitched into a smile.

"Those aren't really trees. It's a hologram- one of few ever invented. Only I can pass through it, unless I am touching someone else," Vera explained. She knew she could trust Thalia with this secret. Her other though, she wasn't too sure, although she deserved to know.

"Stars, how did you get one of those?!" Thalia exclaimed, her voice full of awe despite the pain.

"I, uh…. Well, you see, I'm…. I'm a uh, sh- shell. And when my adoptive mother found me, in my cradle I had a small orb which generates that hologram," Vera explained cautiously, trying not to stutter. Thalia turned to gape at Vera.

"That's cool! My um…." Thalia ducked her head, sniffling, "my friend… One of the one's I lost…. Her mother was a shell. She's super nice and… Oh, what if she hates me?" Thalia sobbed. Vera stopped walking to give her new friend a hug.

"She will know you tried everything you could," she whispered soothingly. Thalia slowly relaxed in her arms. Vera pulled back, and they started walking again.

"Please don't tell anyone that, though, it's my biggest secret that I have that hologram. A gift from my parents," Vera whispered the last part.

"Your secret will be safe with me," Thalia promised.

The two girls hiked the short distance remaining towards the holographic trees. Vera repressed a smirk as Thalia gawked when she walked right through one of them, revealing a small house tucked in the top of one of the real trees. It was honestly a bit of a shack compared to lots of now a day houses, as Vera had constructed it with fallen logs and vines. She'd draped long leaves from the various weird plants which grew down here over the top which shielded her from the better part of rain storms.

Walking up to it, she slammed one arm against the tree, hard enough to make her wince. A makeshift rope ladder tumbled down, unrolling itself as it fell, coming to a neat stop near the ground.

"Will you be able to climb up with that injured arm?" Vera asked with a worried glance at the bleeding cut on Thalia's arm. She noticed the girl hid her pain well, though it was obvious enough that it had to hurt. Thalia nodded, testing her weight on her arm before hauling herself up the ladder. Vera waited on the ground, to catch the girl in case she fell before following.

The trapdoor swung upwards as Thalia used her weaker arm to push it open ahead of herself before dragging herself up the last few rungs and into the small tree cabin. Vera entered slightly more gracefully, although that was to be expected if you were foolish enough to compare grace levels between someone with a bad injury and someone with none.

"Sit down on the bed- or, I guess to you it might not look to be much of a bed. The group of bamboo sticks tied together, resting on those other logs," Vera ordered, pointing out the structure tucked in the corner of her rather spacious living area.

"Where on earth did you get bamboo sticks? I thought those only grew in the commonwealth…?" Thalia wondered, plopping herself on the makeshift bed with a grunt.

"There's a huge grove a mile north from here. Someone long ago must've planted it, probably in the second era, and left it to grow. It only takes one shoot before you have a small forest," Vera replied with a chuckle.

Turning away from the girl in front of her, Vera started ruffling through her many supplies she'd gathered from the town not to far from here, currently being ravaged by the monsters. Soon enough, she found a roll of bandages and some healing herbs she'd scavenged not to long ago. Vera was always looking for more healing herbs- it was one of her few talents. Healing, calming people, generally speaking being a mom friend, you name it.

Grabbing her clay bowl from where it sat drying in the sun, Vera ripped off a few leaves from her bundle, dumping it in the bowl. It took her only seconds to find her grinding rock, and she began grinding and mashing the herbs to a sticky pulp.

Carefully, she brought the finished product over to Thalia and dipped two fingers in it. She sometimes rubbed some of it all over her skin when she added another type of herb to the mix, producing a nice lotion like substance.

"This…. Might sting a little bit," Vera warned before smearing the paste on her friend's skin. Thalia's face scrunched up in pain, but soon it relaxed when the substance soaked into her angry skin. Vera waited a few minutes before soaking a cloth in a second bowl of cured water and washed all the blood and dried skin away from the wound. She finished by wrapping it tightly in bandages, however not quite tight enough to cut off absolutely all circulation.

"That should hopefully be better," Vera whispered before picking up her stuff and bringing it to her makeshift 'sink' which consisted of two bowls, always full of fresh water, with a few clean cloths for washing.

"Yeah, I can't say it feels overly great at this current moment on this miserable planet, but it doesn't feel _worse_ so that's a start," Thalia replied with a grin. Vera let a soft laugh escape.

"There's…. Something else I should warn you about," Vera said with a glance over her shoulder.

"What is it?" Thalia asked, caution laced through her voice.

"There- there's a town near here. I'm not sure what it's called, but…. We may be in danger. The beasts were reported to be ravaging the place at this moment," Vera admitted. The color drained from Thalia's face. Her beautiful face contorted into a frown.

"And…. Are we safe? Here? They can't get past the hologram, right…?" Thalia asked slowly.

"The hologram should hold strong, as long as I am not touching any of them. Then again, I don't know if it could hold against the brutal strength of the wolf mutants. Optimistically yes, we will be safe as long as we stay here. Pessimistically, no we will likely have to defend ourselves. Hopefully they won't come here, though. So we'll just hope for the best and call on our inner optimists," Vera finished with a slight smile. Thalia scowled, then put her head in her hands.

Vera decided she couldn't to anything to calm whatever inner storm Thalia was stranded in, so she left her new friend be and set about washing her clay bowl and the wet, bloodied cloth.

* * *

 _Celeste was secretly pooling down into her mental reserves of energy as the walls quaked, dust showering them. She had a horrible plan- a horrible, horrible plan. It was the only way the world would survive the future, though. Zane beside her had lines creasing his forehead in concentration. Good- he must've read her mind and saw her plan._

 _They stumbled through the tunnels, shaking with the force of the blow soon to wipe them all out. Ahead, the ceiling crumbled, huge chunks of rock falling across the tunnel path. Thalia screamed with frustration, and the sound tore Celeste's heart to shreds. Her friend would never forgive her for what she was about to do._

 _An earth shattering boom sounded from behind them, and a dim red glow raced through the tunnels. Celeste needed to time this just right, as did Zane. Tears streamed down her eyes as she looked at beloved Camille for the last time. If she could save her friend, she would. She absolutely would, but it was impossible._

 _So desperately did she want to take her friend into her arms, hug her tightly and tell her it was ok, and that she was so, so sorry…. But she couldn't. No one could know what she and Zane were going to do, not until the time was right._

 _The second boom sent rocks flying into the air, and a split second after that, she and Zane threw rock hard shields over themselves with their powers. Though it took almost all of her energy and mental stability to hold her own shield, Celeste looked at Thalia, and sent a small message into her head. It wouldn't lie about what had happened, but Celeste would need Thalia to think she was the only survivor. With the last shred of her power, Celeste manipulated the bioelectricity around them, floating in the air to shove Thalia far from the blast._

 _It was something they'd learned recently- she and Zane could sense a slightly different type of bioelectricity in the air around everything. Though it took a lot more effort to control it, they could use it to form rock hard shields around things, or shove others away. It was complicated._

 _Celeste and Zane hid in the nearby trees, barely conscious. She watched as the slumped figure against a tree started twitching slightly, then eyelids fluttered open. Her friend shook her head, then surveyed the scene around them. Before she could forget, Celeste shoved the image of her body and Zane's among the wreckage._

 _Her heart tore itself to shreds as Thalia collapsed beside her fake body, holding it tightly to her. It was all she could do to not run from the trees, to show Thalia that she was okay. To mourn Camille, who she couldn't save. Celeste knew the guilt for being able to save only one friend would haunt her for the rest of her life. But the only way for Earth and Luna to survive was if Thalia thought they were dead, and was so overcome with rage and grief, so determined to end it all. And if she met someone waiting in the forest, not far off, coming to inspect what the sound was._

 _Celeste and Zane played an important part, as well. They were essential. She knew that soon, soon she would be reunited with her friend if they survived the coming days. Although her vision refused to tell her if Thalia would look at her after that from betraying her, from making her think they were dead._

 _With a glance at Zane, Celeste turned around and disappeared into the forest along with her brother._

 **A/N: Hi guys! So…. I bet you weren't expecting that! I'm still sorry for killing Camille, though. But after double checking the description of this story I realized that Celeste and Zane weren't done, not yet. Anyways, sorry for the huge long wait, and I hope you guys liked it! Peace! :P**


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